This time, Kingston Kitchen was…

Great!!! And I went all by my lonesome, how awesome would it have been if I went with my friends? I was so tired after a very long Saturday that I just decided to swing by “for a quick minute.” I got there around 8ish and left promptly at 9. I didn’t mind the lateness of the event as much as I thought I would. Next time I will simply go even earlier and bring along my munchkin. It didn’t have any rides for the kiddies though, just an Appleton lounge for the big people. 😐 Anyway it seems I was pretty early as everything was still plentiful and so I walked around leisurely sampling everyone who had samples and spoke with many vendors pushing their wares.

Where to start. Think I’ll go with Stush in the Bush. They’re not even really googleable, how weird is that huh? They’re a very cheery, chirpy, couple o’ gals (ok one in particular) with a farm in the hills of St. Ann growing their own stuff and whipping up their own sorrel chutney, orange marmalade, hoagie breads and more! They had a fancier name than hoagie bread of course but it went quite lovely with all their homemade or farmmade jams and jellies. She made sure to tell me it was all organic. “Gourmet meets rustic and naturally it’s organic” the card says. If I were a housewife this is totally what I would be doing too. 😀 They can be contacted at stushinthebush at gmail dot com.

This was actually my first stop and at the end of the night I went back and picked up one of their pepper jams because they had a great price for the night. Remember my grievance last time? Yeah. Picked up my jam for only $200!! I sampled it served with cream cheese on a cracker and it was just delightful. A sweet jam with a peppery zing. I dropped a dollop of it in my chicken pot the other day and my chicken was great! Next time I’ll marinate with it, I can only imagine the yumminess. The gentleman obliged my desire to try every single one of their sauces too! I could see him twitching on that last request LOL but he was great and they were all good! I would definitely buy Belcour’s Jerk Sauce if I see it in my supermarket. The card I picked up has two recipes using my new pepper jam and I will try at least one and let you know how that turns out.

My sweet tooth was satisfied by the lovely people from Xotic Fruits. I had a cheesecake filled strawberry and it was more strawberry than cheesecake which made me feel a little less guilty. 😀 It was delightful, a sure crowd pleaser at your next snooty-tooty dinner party.

My picture was horrible, here’s one from their facebook page. I think by the time I got to them the cheesecake filling had melted some.

They’re like Jamaica’s own Edible Arrangements. Look at this all-fruit cake and this centrepiece?!?!?! How cool!

I absolutely loved the display at Eits Cafe! As much as I love hearing about these different cafes up in the Blue Mountains, I still have not been to visit any and I so think it would be the absolute perfect Sunday brunch! Shame on me!

Look at all the fresh herbs!!! They’re up there in Newcastle and the food pictures on their Facebook page are divine! I’ve gotta go! Have you been??? Do tell!

After all my sampling it was time to get an actual bite to eat. I really really really wanted to try some barbecue and some crispy pork but as I mentioned, I was on a budget so this booth rang my name. They are Los Hermanos and they were serving arepas, Spanish cuisine. A corn patty fried and stuffed with your choice of filling. I went with chicken and this set me back a mere $200. It was…..ok. It wasn’t divine, it wasn’t outstanding, it was ok. If I were in a hurry I’d pick it up again and know that my belly would be filled if I got two and it wouldn’t be a horrible meal but its not something I’d go for if I were craving “something nice.” I think if I had cheese with my chicken and maybe put the plantains in there too I would have liked it much better. And after all that, I’ma need some lettuce and tomato to ease my guilt a little. I’ll look out for them again, it wasn’t bad at all. Just not amazing.

I can’t finish this post without mentioning The Lotus Line simply because I’ve been wanting to get some variety of seeds and nuts in my diet (before I get tired of almonds) and they look like they are able to fulfil that need of mine.

I need to consult with my supermarket first to make sure I’m not paying “gourmet” prices if I choose to go with the Lotus Line, but their variety looks great. In this pic alone I see quinoa, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts and walnuts (or are those pecans? I always confuse them) …all of which are on my new healthy eating wishlist. I’ma need a price list.

How was your Kingston Kitchen experience? And what did you try that you absolutely loved? Dish!